Census: Population slowing in parts of US

WASHINGTON?? Many states that posted big population gains in the 2010 census are now seeing their decade-long growth fizzle, hurt by a prolonged economic slump that is stretching into larger portions of the South and West.

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New 2011 estimates released Wednesday by the Census Bureau are the first state numbers since the 2010 count, which found the nation's population growth shifting to the Sun Belt.

As a whole, the U.S. population grew by 2.8 million, reaching 311.6 million people. That growth of 0.92 percent was the lowest since the mid-1940s.

Washington, D.C., grew faster than any state in the nation, climbing by 2.7 percent from April 2010 to July of this year. It was the first time the District led states in growth since the early 1940s. Texas was next-fastest growing, followed by Utah, Alaska, Colorado and North Dakota.

States that prospered during the real estate boom, such as Arizona, Nevada and Florida, were already beginning to show a drop in growth when their populations were officially counted a year ago. Since then, the slowdown has spread to other burgeoning areas whose populations had previously withstood much of the dampening effects of the sluggish economy.

They include Georgia, South Carolina, Utah and Idaho, whose annual growth over the last two years is now the weakest than any time in the last decade.

Texas, the big 2010 winner owing to a diversified economy that attracted new residents during the recession, is seeing its growth slow as fewer people move there. In contrast, Democratic-leaning states such as California and New York are losing fewer residents to other states than before.

"Record low migration has continued to put a damper on what looked to be a Sun Belt growth explosion just five years ago," said William H. Frey, a demographer at the Brookings Institution. "States that seemed immune from the housing bust are now experiencing declining population growth as employment opportunities in a variety of industries contract, and as mortgages seem nearly impossible to obtain."

The Census Bureau released state population estimates as of July 1, 2011. The data show annual changes through births, deaths, and domestic and foreign migration.

In all, 38 states showed lower growth in 2010 and 2011 than in either of the previous two years during the recession. Twenty-three of these states are in South and West region. Moreover, 28 states showed either slower in-migration or greater out-migration than in either of the first two years of the recession. These include Nevada and Arizona, but also Texas, Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Colorado and Utah.

Three states ? Rhode Island, Michigan and Maine ? lost population.

Kimball Brace, president of Election Data Services, said if the 2010 count had been held this year, Minnesota would have lost a seat in the House of Representatives and North Carolina would have picked up one due to the shifting population figures. Based on continuing losses, Rhode Island is now closer to losing one of its seats with just 41,000 people to spare. "It's definitely not moving in Rhode Island's favor," he said.

California remained the most populous state, followed by Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45753554/ns/us_news-life/

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How China and America Can Work Together to Solve Climate Crisis | Truthout

Announcing:?Debt-for-Nature Coalition for US and China (DNCUSC, or DNC)

So you thought, "we're screwed. The UN Climate Change Conference talks in Durban were a pre-ordained failure, and no progress is possible for who knows how long."

Fortunately, there is a way to immediately begin bypassing nationalistic and corporate power-tripping in Durban and at the UN. It relies on a win-win-win grassroots, bottom-up resolution, starting at the local level.

In this package, U.S. residents are incentivized to cut individual greenhouse gas emissions -- say, by taking up bicycling to replace driving. Such energy-quantifiable steps are taken in order to?reduce the debt owned by China. Here's why this makes sense to a broke, little-respected, over-extended U.S. government, and to the emerging giant China, in the post-cheap oil world:

China would write off a large amount of U.S. indebtedness, as done in the practice called debt-for-nature swap. Thus, China-- the world's top emitter -- would be able to claim carbon-emissions reduction credit it will soon want. Carbon reduction by China and all other nation-signatories will be required in the post-Kyoto Protocol global agreement. China has low per-capita greenhouse gas pollution, and thus feels that the U.S. -- as long-time number-one emitter -- needs to lower its high per-capita emissions.

Support Truthout as part of your year-end giving: make a tax-deductible donation today by clicking here!

With the U.S. enjoying debt reduction, China enjoying carbon credits, and Americans rewarded through incentives to cut energy consumption and sequester carbon, everyone wins. All other nations win too, as this debt-for-nature proposal, if successful, could break the climate talks' deadlock and resuscitate the Kyoto process. Additionally, the increasingly belligerent tone between the U.S. and China -- perhaps relating to strategic oil in the Pacific ocean, after the U.S. had less than spectacular success for petroleum in Iraq and Afghanistan -- would soften, thanks to a new treaty between the climate-altering titans.

For making it worthwhile for the U.S. to meet the goal of energy conservation to achieve a much lower carbon footprint while cutting back foreign oil addiction, China not only gets Kyoto-style credit but can work toward its additional strategic reductions for a more resilient economy. For example, the country could be better positioned to install more renewable energy systems. It is already the top solar panel maker in the world. It would be tragic if China chose to do the minimum to qualify for its carbon reduction efforts on the backs of hard working Americans. So China should be required to honor the Kyoto spirit by slashing fossil fuels combustion, while pursuing renewable energy and efficiency -- even though the country will have gained, for little effort, vast carbon credits from its U.S. deal.

An attraction to this debt-for-nature swap is the immediate relief on our besieged atmosphere: 2010 was an alarming example of maximizing emissions, so 2011 was unsurprisingly one of hottest years in history. An ice shelf's near total melting in northern Canada was a shocker. Our problems are just beginning, and climate scientists confirm this by starting to give up on the possibility of seeing temperature-rise get under control this century.

Lifestyle change involving energy curtailment is the fastest way to slash carbon emissions. Maximizing renewable energy systems in the future is worthwhile to work toward now, but to put all effort toward a technological fix, without slashing emissions now, loses precious time as the planet heats up. We don't want to be guilty of "too little, too late."

Individuals can publicly resolve to do their part now to begin (or further) their emission reduction, and urge others to do so via the city-council resolution process. The resolution is a mechanism that would also call for state and national adoption of the goal of emissions reduction via the debt-for-nature swap, through bike-riding, growing food more locally, sail-transport of freight and passengers, etc. Individuals can be tempted through incentives, such as getting relief on student loans, qualifying for more food stamps, enjoying local discounts by "participating patriotic businesses" that support the resolution, etc.

In addition to the local resolutions and grassroots movement to slash per-capita emissions, the state and federal governments can join in the carbon-reduction effort in any way that works. The government would reorient policy toward debt reduction via energy conservation -- with a bonus of better national physical fitness for lower health-care costs, by driving less and gardening more -- stemming from low-polluting behavioral change. Let us imagine also the improved financial health for the U.S. economy, with a stronger social safety net, thanks to China's exercising its real need for global emissions target-reduction through obtaining carbon credit.

Ways that the U.S. would enact more energy-efficient policies are on all levels, including cargo shipping, jet travel, building insulation, and agriculture. Specific programs would include depaving of parking lots and driveways, reducing product-packaging, and re-forestation and other carbon sequestration. U.S. citizens would also be rewarded for having fewer offspring by losing tax breaks for bearing more dependents. The birth rate in the U.S. is comparably very high for an industrialized country, so why encourage creating more consumers of the least energy-efficient population on Earth?

The concept for a U.S.-China debt-for-nature swap entered the White House's Council on Environmental Quality, during the debt-ceiling crisis of last July. At the same time, China's reporting on the same crisis included the debt-for-nature concept, mentioning sail power as one of the tools to reduce carbon emissions [by reducing horrendous bunker fuel use]. The link to the China financial press story:?Finance.EastMoney.com. The link to my original story, containing an international law professor's endorsement of the concept:?China's Debt-for-Nature Opportunity for Virtually Bankrupt U.S..

Debt-for-Nature Coalition for US and China

For Culture Change to propose a Debt-for-Nature Coalition for US and China (DNCUSC, or DNC), when we are just a small organization (although frequent participant in UN climate meetings), was not our preferred intention for moving the concept forward. But our behind-the-scenes networking in Washington, D.C., and encouraging activists and nonprofit groups to take the project on, has not yet resulted in fast promotion of the idea through the climate change protection community. So, if you want to see it happen, run with it:

For an example of a resolution, see what the coalition World Oil Reduction for the U.S. Gulf (WORG) was launching just before the BP blowout was capped off Louisiana in 2010:WorldOilReduction.org, a model perhaps for debt-for-nature support.

Hints on climate-protection lifestyle changes (and preparation for petrocollapse) are in our 12-year old?Pledge for Climate Protection. The Pledge and The WORG resolution both appear in?Songs of Petroleum: the Autobiography of Jan Lundberg, Independent Oil Industry Analyst and Eco-Activist.

Thanks for considering. If you wish to join the DNUCSC as an individual or organization, send an email to?info@culturechange.org.?Feel free to write up the resolution language for city councils, and we will post the ideas and names forming the coalition. Don't forget to forward this article to any climate group or city council member, via email, Facebook, Twitter and weblinks, and print it out for city-council submission:culturechange.org/cms/content/view/803/1.

Write letters to the editor and to any reasonable government officials. If a successful campaign comes out of this Activist Alert and follow-up work we have already encouraged by others, the world may breathe easier. Stop a runaway greenhouse effect, for the Earth is beautiful and life can be sweet.

Sign up for free?Culture Change reports?
Donate to Culture Change and support its projects such as the?Sail Transport Network:?culturechange.org/cms/content/view/13/82/

Source: http://www.truth-out.org/how-china-and-america-can-work-together-solve-climate-crisis/1324139494

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APNewsBreak: Medicare cuts could hit Jan. 18 (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Nearly 650,000 doctors caring for millions of seniors will get a steep cut in Medicare payments Jan. 18 unless a gridlocked Congress issues a reprieve, program officials said Tuesday.

A provision waiving a scheduled 27.4 percent cut in physician reimbursement was included in the payroll tax legislation now ensnared in partisan political wrangling between the House and Senate.

Medicare deputy administrator Jonathan Blum told The Associated Press the cut will go through unless Congress acts, because the backlog from more than a couple of weeks of waiting for lawmakers could cause the program's computers to crash.

Tax legislation passed by the Senate last week included a two-month Medicare reprieve, but House Republicans rejected that Tuesday.

"Today's vote calls into question whether millions of seniors in Medicare will continue to get the care that they need," said Joyce Rogers, vice president of AARP, the lobby for older people. "More physicians may choose to no longer take Medicare patients due to this dramatic cut."

The recurring threat of cuts to doctors is perhaps the most visible symbol of Medicare's financial problems. Reductions are required by a 1990s budget law that failed to control spending but never got repealed. Instead, Congress passes a temporary fix each time, only to grow the size of cuts required next time around.

Medicare sent an alert to doctors on Monday telling them it will hold claims for the first 10 business days of 2012 unless Congress acts to waive the cuts.

On Tuesday, Blum said holding claims any longer than that could cause problems for Medicare's computers, designed to expedite payment. That disclosure may come as a shock to lawmakers, since Medicare was able to hold claims for more than 20 days during a similar standoff last year during the summer.

"We feel that (Medicare) came very close operationally to crashing our system back in 2010," Blum said in an interview. "From a stewardship perspective, that is something we feel we can never repeat again."

Blum said Medicare has told the contractors handling its billing to start paying claims for 2012 at the lower rate on Jan. 18.

One factor that worries officials is that claims volume is expected to be high in winter months.

After the previous prolonged standoff over cuts, Medicare also heard from many doctors who said delaying payments to wait for Congress doesn't necessarily help them. Most medical practices are small businesses with payroll and other obligations and limited ability to quickly raise cash.

"What doctors told us afterwards is that it was better to provide some cash flow than no cash flow," said Blum. Congress can restore the funds later.

If allowed to go through, such steep cuts could undermine care for millions of elderly and disabled Medicare beneficiaries, as well as military retirees. Payment rates in the Pentagon's program are pegged to Medicare.

And doctors are not the only medical providers affected. Therapists, nurse practitioners and other professionals are also covered by the same payment system. Some doctors have said they will stop taking new Medicare patients.

The American Medical Association was hoping for a permanent fix to the payment problem this year. That was thwarted by the failure of the congressional supercommittee to come up with a bipartisan plan to reduce government debt.

The payroll tax bill approved by the House included a two-year reprieve for doctors. But that was whittled down to two months in the compromise tax legislation overwhelmingly passed by the Senate passed last week, and intended as a place-holder to buy a little more time for lawmakers to negotiate. House Republicans rejected that deal.

The AMA says the annual spectacle is eroding the confidence of doctors and patients.

"Congress has again failed to fulfill its responsibilities," said Dr. Peter Carmel, the group's president. "It is shameful that patients and physicians are the collateral damage."

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111220/ap_on_go_co/us_payroll_tax_medicare_cuts

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Circle Pad Pro cracked open, plenty of room to put your feet up

Earlier this week, Nintendo announced its February 7th US release date for the Circle Pad Pro accessory exclusively through Gamestop. If you've caught yourself wondering about its components, the guys over at ldblog were able to get their hands on the unit that you see above. Beyond basic capacitors for the peripheral's single AAA battery, there's a lot of empty room inside the case -- almost too much. The Circle Pad's spacious interior leaves us wondering, could Nintendo have used this room for an extra stylus holder, or perhaps, to accommodate the beefier AA battery? The world may never know.

Circle Pad Pro cracked open, plenty of room to put your feet up originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Dec 2011 19:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/MucfmjgIsa8/

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World trade body agrees to Russia becoming member (AP)

GENEVA ? The World Trade Organization agreed Friday to allow Russia to become its newest member, giving a critical boost to the ailing economy of its biggest trading partner, the European Union.

Until now, Russia has been the only member of the Group of 20 leading world economies still outside the WTO, the global body that sets legally binding rules for international trade and mediates disputes.

The deal is expected to quickly increase EU exports by some euro4 billion ($5.2 billion) a year, EU trade officials say. Under the deal, Russians will be able to buy European-made goods at far lower prices and to sell its oil and gas more efficiently.

The 27-nation EU bloc is Russia's biggest trading partner for agriculture, fuels, mining and manufacturing. The EU buys 52 percent of Russia's exports, including the fossil fuels that keep Europe running. Russia, in turn, is third-biggest customer for EU exports, after the U.S. and China.

Elvira Nabiullina, Russia's minister of economic development, hailed the deal and said Russia is ready to help counter the risks of the global economic slowdown.

"We are ready to counter these risks actively," she told WTO trade ministers, just after their decision to welcome Russia.

The agreement is also likely to provide a boost for Russia's heavily state-managed economy, trade experts say, because it would bring the nation under international trade rules that could give outside investors more confidence.

"The EU has high expectations of Russia as a responsible partner able to respect rules," EU trade chief Karel De Gucht told the WTO.

As a WTO member, Moscow would provide annual reports to other members on its continuing privatization and gradually lower its average tariff ceiling to 7.8 percent from its current 10 percent.

A final hurdle to joining the WTO was the deal Russia signed with Georgia, its neighbor with whom it waged a brief war in 2008, to allow a neutral company to monitor all trade between the two nations.

Russia would become a WTO member next year, 30 days after it notifies WTO that the Russian Duma has ratified membership.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/business/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111216/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_wto_russia

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'Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows' Cheat Sheet

We have everything you need to know about the Guy Ritchie sequel.
By Kara Warner

Robert Downey Jr. in "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows"

After the spectacular success of "Sherlock Holmes" — $515 million in worldwide ticket sales, a Best Actor Golden Globe win for Robert Downey Jr., both of which were unpredictable accomplishments given the fact that the film arrived in theaters at the same time as James Cameron's "Avatar" — it was no surprise when Warner Bros. announced plans for a sequel.

To celebrate the arrival of "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows," in theaters Friday (December 16), here's our comprehensive cheat sheet of everything you need to know about the action-packed, Guy Ritchie-directed sequel.

A New World of Possibilities
Amazingly enough, talk of a "Sherlock" sequel began three months prior to the original's release, when Brad Pitt was rumored to be joining the cast as Moriarty and there were rumblings that it would be shot in 3-D. Neither of those things panned out, but we did eventually learn that the sequel would be filmed in Paris and London and that instead of "Sherlock Holmes 2," the film's title would be "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows."

Fresh Meat
Early on, we learned that Rachel McAdams' return as Irene Adler was trimmed to a "very small part," which made way for the addition of a new female lead, Noomi Rapace, who originated the role of Lisbeth Salander in Sweden's "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." Ritchie summed up her character thusly: "She's a gypsy princess with balls," he told us when we visited the set. "That's what Noomi brings to the table."

The other new addition was "Mad Men" actor Jared Harris who won the coveted role of the villainous Professor Moriarty. Harris couldn't give us many details about the role when we caught up with him in early '11, but he did gush about the "great fun" he had on set.

Setting the Shadowy Tone
As we started to inch closer to the film's release, we started to see that the sequel was going to be a bit darker via the first official posters, photos and the first full-length trailer. It's not all dark and stormy, of course, since a lot of the fun of the first film was in the whimsical moments between Downey and Law, and Holmes' various disguises, as revealed in this funny clip featuring more of RDG in drag.

When MTV News caught up with the main players recently, Downey assured us the film is a "superior product" and that everyone had gone to great lengths to make it bigger and better. Perhaps Ritchie summed it up best: "All in all, we tried to basically put this film on 'roids."

Check out everything we've got on "Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676169/sherlock-holmes-game-of-shadows.jhtml

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Russia's Mars probe will crash to Earth in January

MOSCOW (AP) ? A Russian spacecraft bound for a moon of Mars and stuck in Earth's orbit will come crashing back next month, but its toxic fuel and radioactive material on board will pose no danger of contamination, the Russian space agency said Friday.

Between 20 and 30 fragments of the probe with a total weight of up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds) will survive the fiery plunge and shower the Earth's surface, Roscosmos warned in a statement.

The agency said the unmanned Phobos-Ground spacecraft will plummet to Earth between Jan. 6 and Jan. 19, and the rough area of where the fragments could fall could only be calculated a few days ahead of its plunge.

While the agency had lost contact with the probe following its launch on Nov. 9, this was the first time acknowledged that the $170-million craft has been lost and will come crashing down.

Since its November launch the engineers in Russia and at the European Space Agency have attempted unsuccessfully to propel it away from Earths orbit and toward its target.

Phobos-Ground weighs 13.2 metric tons (14.6 tons), which includes 11 metric tons (12 tons) of highly toxic fuel. Experts had warned that if the fuel has frozen, some could survive entry into Earth and pose a serious threat if it falls over populated areas.

But Roscosmos said it is sure that all fuel will burn on re-entry some 100 kilometers (330,000 feet) above the ground and pose no danger. It said that 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of Cobalt-57, a radioactive metal contained in one of the craft's instruments, will not pose a threat of radioactive contamination.

The failed mission was the latest in a series of recent Russian launch failures that have raised concerns about the condition of the country's space industries.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2011-12-16-EU-Russia-Mars-Moon-Mission/id-9b98da6e6641403bbe12ba51bc736559

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